Capacity building workshop: Global change impact on diseases and alien species expansion

The workshop will address different topics, from field-work and collecting of data to the building and validating of models, to the adjustment of models to take into account the changing environment and the social characteristics, and to the design and implementation of strategies to fight infectious diseases and invasive species. This will be done through lectures, practical training and round table discussions. Special emphasis will be put on African diseases and invasive species, as well as the characteristics of changing environment in Africa. The workshop is mostly aimed to young researchers and postgraduate students, with a majority coming from Africa. International experts from around the world will give the mini-courses and lectures and will lead the working groups.

Confirmed speakers and leaders of working groups:

• Peter Daszak (medicine and disease ecology), University of Columbia, USA
• Kristie Ebi (environmental health), University of Washington, USA
• Abba Gumel (mathematics), Arizona State University, USA
• John Hargrove (biomathematics, epidemiology, insect physiology), SACEMA, South Africa
• Mark Lewis (mathematics), University of Alberta, Canada
• Andrea Pugliese (mathematical and theoretical population biology), University of Trento, Italy
• Judith Omumbo (epidemiology), African Academy of Science
• David Richardson (botany and zoology), University of Stellenbosch and Director of Centre for Invasion Biology, South Africa

Applications are still open until the quota is filled.

Future Earth core project ecoHeALTH is involved in the workshop, alongside other prestigious international organisations like International Council of Science (ICSU) and International Social Science Council (ISSC).